Chris Columbus to Direct Adaptation of HOME FRONT; Abigail Breslin Eyes THE THINGS WE DO FOR LOVE

It’s a good day to be a fan of Kristin Hannah, as the bestselling author has just inked a pair of deals that will see two of her popular female-experience-centric novels developed for the silver screen. First up, 1492 Films has picked up the rights to Hannah’s latest, Home Front, the tale of a Blackhawk helicopter pilot in a crumbling marriage who is forced to leave her husband and children for a tour of duty in Iraq. Per Deadline, the book, currently 14th on the NY Times bestseller list, was powerful enough to really pique the interest of director Chris Columbus (Stepmom, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets), who is attached to helm.

Also per Deadline, an adaptation is underway for Hannah’s The Things We Do For Love, the story of a disillusioned, childless divorcee and a pregnant, recently homeless teen who form a bond that will both fulfill and sorely test both women. SPB Productions is developing with an eye on transitioning child star Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine) for role of the teen. Hit the jump for full synopses of both books.

In her bestselling novels Kristin Hannah has plumbed the depths of friendship, the loyalty of sisters, and the secrets mothers keep. Now, in her most emotionally powerful story yet, she explores the intimate landscape of a troubled marriage–with this provocative and timely portrait of a husband and wife, in love and at war.

All marriages have a breaking point. All families have wounds. All wars have a cost…

Like many couples, Michael and Jolene have to face the pressures of everyday life—children, careers, bills, chores—even as their twelve year marriage is falling apart. Then an unexpected deployment sends Jolene deep into harm’s way and leaves defense attorney Michael at home, unaccustomed to being a single parent to their two girls. As a mother, it agonizes Jolene to leave her family, but as a soldier she has always understood the true meaning of duty. In her letters home, she paints a rose-colored version of her life on the front lines, shielding her family from the truth. But war will change Jolene in ways that none of them could have foreseen. When tragedy strikes, Michael must face his darkest fear and fight a battle of his own–for everything that matters to his family.

At once a profoundly honest look at modern marriage and a dramatic exploration of the price of war on an ordinary American family, HOME FRONT is a story of love, loss, heroism, honor and ultimately, hope.

The Things We Do For Love Synopsis:

New York Times bestselling author Kristin Hannah “touches the deepest, most tender corner of our hearts” (Tami Hoag). Her last novel, Between Sisters, was chosen by CBS’s The Early Show as one of the best books of the summer. Now she returns with The Things We Do for Love – a poignant, evocative story that celebrates the magic of motherhood, the joys of coming home, and the price we so willingly pay for love.

The youngest of three daughters, Angela DeSaria Malone was always “the princess” of the family, a girl who thought she knew how her life would unfold. High School. College. Marriage. Motherhood. That was how it had gone for her sisters, her cousins, her friends. But it didn’t work out that way for Angie. She and her husband tried desperately to have a child; year after year, their perfectly decorated nursery remained empty. Finally, their marriage collapsed under the weight of lost dreams.

After the divorce, Angie moved back to her hometown and rejoined her loud, loving, slightly crazy family. In West End, a place where life rises and falls in time with the tides, she will find the man who once again will open her heart to love…and meet the girl who will change Angie’s life.

Lauren Ribido lives in a rundown apartment in a bad part of town with a mother who cares more about her next drink than about her daughter. At seventeen, Lauren knows that her aspirations in life may never come to pass.

From the moment they meet, Angie sees something special in Lauren. They form a quick connection, this woman who is desperate for a daughter and the girl who has never known a mother’s love. When Lauren is abandoned by her mother, Angie doesn’t hesitate to offer the girl a place to stay.

But nothing could have prepared Angie for the far-reaching repercussions of this act of kindness. In a dramatic turn of events, she and Lauren will be tested in a way that mothers and daughters seldom are. Together they will embark on an intensely moving, deeply emotional journey to the very heart of what it means to be a family.

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